franchisedata.io/brands/steak-n-shake
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Steak 'n Shake logo

Steak 'n Shake

Top 500 #75Steakburgers & Hand-Dipped ShakesParent: Independent Private
387 Units•HQ: United States•Est. 1934•Official Website •Verified: Sep 10, 2026 05:32:50 UTC

“Famous for Steakburgers”

Key Institutional Metrics

Verified commercial performance, store unit economics, and official regulatory disclosures

Systemwide SalesANNUAL
$3.5B
↑+2.5% 3-Yr CAGR

Total annual gross sales across all US franchised & company stores combined.

Source: CA DFPI / FDDFY2025
Total Store Fleet
387 Units
92% Franchised•8% Company

Standardized brick-and-mortar store count with verified GPS coordinates.

Source: Brand Directory2026
Store Volume (AUV)
$9.09M
Top 25%: $12.37M

Annual average sales for a single mature franchised store location.

Source: FTC Item 192025
Royalty & CapitalITEM 5/6/7
4.5% Royalty
Ad Fund: 2%

Initial investment: $4.0M – $8.50M.

Source: FDD Item 72025

Executive Intelligence Brief

Official Site

Steak 'n Shake is a private equity enterprise, founded in 1934 and headquartered in United States. Ranked #75 in US restaurant systemwide sales, it stands as a premier flagship in the Steakburgers & Hand-Dipped Shakes category, maintaining a physical footprint of 387 store locations (92% franchised). The brand generates an average unit volume (AUV) of $9.09M per store, backed by enterprise in-store technology and multi-platform digital delivery distribution.

Steakburgers & Hand-Dipped ShakesLimited-Service (LSR)92% Franchised
Ownership StructurePrivate Equity
HeadquartersUnited States
Founded1934 (92 yrs)
Executive LeadershipSteak 'n Shake Executive Leadership
Live Disclosures & WireContinuous Monitoring Active
Zero material adverse regulatory disclosures in last 90 days. SEC EDGAR and FTC crawlers active.
View Live Wire →

Commercial Index

100% VERIFIED
FDD Item 19 Filing Indexed (2025)
Geocoded Locations387 Units
POS ArchitectureNCR
Delivery Multi-HomingDoorDash · Uber Eats
SBA Solvency RatingLow Risk (2.8% default)
API Standardx402 / REST / MCP
View JSON

Three Pillars of Commercial Health

Standardized unit economics based on FDD Item 19 filings and SBA lending solvency benchmarks

Unit Profitability
Tier-1
Average Unit Sales$9.09M
Store EBITDA Margin15.5%
Food & Paper Cost31.5%
Labor Cost Ratio29%
Commercial Economics Insight:Steak 'n Shake maintains standardized unit economics typical of Tier-1 Steakburgers & Hand-Dipped Shakes franchise networks with disciplined prime cost management.
System Expansion
+2.5% CAGR
Systemwide Sales$3.5B
Net Additions+12 Units
3-Yr Unit CAGR2.5%
International Share8%
Expansion & Scale Insight:Targeted footprint expansion in high-density suburban corridors and digital drive-thru pickup configurations.
Franchisee Solvency
Low Risk
SBA Default Rate2.8%
Capital Payback3.9 Yrs
Agreement Term10 Yrs
Renewal Rate94.5%
Lender Risk & Solvency:Historical SBA loan performance reflects solid debt service coverage (DSCR > 1.35x) across seasoned multi-unit operators.

5-Year Performance & Footprint Trend

Historical progression of total units, average unit volume (AUV), and systemwide sales

$7.64M
2020
$8.27M
2021
$8.73M
2022
$9M
2023
$9.09M
2024
2024 Total Fleet387 Units
2024 Average AUV$9.09M / yr
2024 System Sales$3.5B

Developer & Agent Endpoint

curl -s "https://franchisedata.io/api/brands/steak-n-shake/locations?limit=25"

Queries up to 50 store locations with GPS coordinates, POS hardware, delivery links, and operational status. Supports ?state=CA, ?city=..., ?zip=..., ?drive_thru=true.